Live Soap: Stability, Order, and Fluctuations in Apolar Active Smectics

Tapan Chandra Adhyapak, Sriram Ramaswamy, and John Toner
Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 118102 – Published 15 March 2013

Abstract

We construct a hydrodynamic theory of noisy, apolar active smectics in bulk suspension or on a substrate. Unlike purely orientationally ordered active fluids, active apolar smectics can be dynamically stable in Stokesian bulk suspensions. Smectic order in these systems is quasilong ranged in dimension d=2 and long ranged in d=3. We predict reentrant Kosterlitz-Thouless melting to an active nematic in our simplest model in d=2, a nonzero second-sound speed parallel to the layers in bulk suspensions, and that there are no giant number fluctuations in either case. We also briefly discuss possible instabilities in these systems.

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  • Received 10 April 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.118102

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Tapan Chandra Adhyapak1,2,*, Sriram Ramaswamy1,3,†, and John Toner4,‡

  • 1Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India
  • 2Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
  • 3TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21 Brundavan Colony, Narsingi, Hyderabad 500 075, India
  • 4Department of Physics and Institute of Theoretical Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA

  • *tapan@physics.iisc.ernet.in
  • sriram@tifrh.res.in
  • jjt@uoregon.edu

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Issue

Vol. 110, Iss. 11 — 15 March 2013

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